Bhagavad Gita · Arjuna Vishada YogaChapter 1, Shloka 42 (1.42)
Original Sanskrit · अर्जुनः
सङ्करो नरकायैव कुलघ्नानां कुलस्य च
पतन्ति पितरो ह्येषां लुप्तपिण्डोदकक्रियाः
॥ 1.42 ॥
saṅkaro narakāyaiva kulaghnānāṃ kulasya ca
patanti pitaro hyeṣāṃ luptapiṇḍodakakriyāḥ
Translation
"(According to Arjuna,) this mixing leads both the destroyers of the family and the family itself to hell; and their ancestors too fall (from their world), as the rites of pinda offerings and water oblations die out."
Interpretation
A fear spanning three generations. Arjuna's worry now reaches across generations: (1) those who will destroy the family (kula-ghna), (2) the family that will survive, and (3) the ancestors who have already gone. Madhusudana Sarasvati: the fall into hell is not only of the family-destroyers but of their forefathers too — because when there are no sons and others to perform them, the rites of pinda (rice offerings) and water die out.
The context of the shraddha tradition. Arjuna's argument rests on a religious belief: the well-being of the ancestors after death is tied to the shraddha rites performed by their descendants. When the men of the family die in war, who will perform these rites? This was a deep religious concern of Arjuna's time — a sacred bond between generations.
This is Arjuna's argument. All the ideas from 1.40 to 1.44 are Arjuna's. Krishna will answer them not by debating the rules of shraddha but on a different level — on the basis of the indestructibility of the Self and svadharma (one's own duty) (chapter 2).
The broader human meaning. Behind this belief lies a universal feeling: we are connected to our ancestors, and carrying forward their memory and honour is our duty. War breaks that thread.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.